Special eventgoers prepare for parking price changes near Petco Park

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- San Diegans are experiencing a new era of special event pricing in downtown San Diego -- that means the hourly cost of parking jumps from $2.50 an hour to $10 an hour on the parking meters within a half-mile radius of Petco Park.

“It’s just not right, it's pricing people out of having fun,” one Padres fan said.

With the city facing a $250 million deficit, officials are doing everything they can to bring in new revenue. The special event pricing could be in effect 100 days a year.

Factoring in surge pricing and extended meter hours running into Sunday, the City of San Diego is expected to bring in $9.9 million into the city coffers, and not everyone is against the fees.

“For the city I guess it’s ok, you know they got to do something,” said another Padres fan.

And locals too are doing something and that something is not driving their cars downtown.

“We took the trolley, we aren’t paying that money,” said a woman carrying her daughter out of Petco Park.

The Padres released the following statement:

“The city’s decision to raise parking meter rates by 700 percent since last year, reaching $10 per hour before and during events at Petco Park, will make it significantly more expensive for fans, workers, and residents to park on the streets surrounding the ballpark.

“The city made this decision without meaningful input from key stakeholders, including the Padres organization. We have not yet received information regarding how the new parking revenue will be reinvested locally but look forward to better understanding the city’s plan.”

The event pricing is scheduled to last six hours surrounding a concert or ball game. Locals say the big fallout will be in more crowded trolleys.